January 29 Saturday — Sam finished his Jan. 26 to Elizabeth Wallace.
Jan, 29—noon. I intended to be lazy & dictate the rest of this, but my little secretary (Helen Allen, angel-fish) has escaped, & gone bicycling with a schoolmate. I am guest in her parents’ house—indefinitely. I never feel a desire to revisit Stormfield. Paine & his wife & little girl are occupying the house for me. The servants like them & will stay with them, I think. I have Claude, best of butlers, valets &-everything-else, with me. He lives at the Hamilton House, but is in close touch with me by telephone and bicycle.
In England Ashcroft committed a forgery in the second degree upon me, & sold for £25 my name (& words which I would not have uttered for a hundred times the money.) Sh—! say nothing about it—we hope to catch him & shut him up in a British prison, It is not a strong hope, for he is smart in covering up his tracks, but we shall get out of it what we can.
He is a reptile—yes, but not so slimy a one as his wife. She was intended for an insect—capturable with a fine-tooth comb.
Helen has been gone an hour & a half, & will have to be severely scolded, Did you ever try to scold an angel-fish? I think a person could learn to do it. But he would have to have considerable practice.
Good-bye. Affectionately, S.L.C.
[in Helen S. Allen 's hand:]
Apology. Mr. Clemens wants me to say I am sorry. So I say I am sorry. / Helen Schuyler Allen. / Secy. [MTP].